Virtual CFO services for growing UAE businesses.
Most companies need CFO-level judgement well before they can justify a CFO salary. A virtual arrangement gives you a senior finance person for an agreed number of days each month, working on the decisions that actually move the business.
What is included
What a virtual CFO actually does.
The work is decided with you at the start. These are the areas most engagements cover.
Financial strategy
Where the money is going, what it is earning, and which parts of the business deserve more or less of it.
Cash flow management
Rolling forecasts, working capital discipline and early warning when the runway shortens.
Board and investor reporting
Reporting packs that answer the questions a board or an investor will actually ask, prepared before the meeting.
KPI design
A small number of measures that genuinely reflect performance, rather than a dashboard nobody reads.
Finance team supervision
Oversight of your in-house bookkeeper or accountant, including review of their output and help with hiring.
Funding readiness
Getting the numbers, the model and the documentation into the condition a lender or investor expects to see.
When it makes sense
The gap between a bookkeeper and a CFO.
A bookkeeper records what happened. A CFO decides what should happen next. Many UAE businesses have the first and need the second, and try to bridge the gap with the founder doing finance in the evenings.
Pricing, hiring and investment decisions are being made without a model behind them. They may be right, but nobody can tell in advance, and the cost of being wrong is rising with the size of the business.
The profit and loss looks healthy and the bank account does not. That gap is almost always working capital, and it needs someone who can diagnose it rather than just report it.
Lenders and investors ask for things most owner-managed businesses do not have ready. Assembling that under time pressure rarely produces a good outcome.
Historic statements answer what happened. Boards increasingly want forecasts, scenarios and a view on risk, which is a different skill from preparing the accounts.
Valuation depends heavily on how clean and how credible the numbers are. That work takes a year or more, so it has to start well before the sale process does.
How the engagement runs
Structured, and reviewed regularly.
Diagnostic
A review of the current numbers, systems and reporting, ending in a written summary of what is working and what is not.
Priorities agreed
We agree the two or three things worth fixing first, rather than attempting everything at once.
Cadence set
Days per month, meeting schedule and reporting deadlines fixed so both sides know what to expect.
Build
Forecasts, models, reporting packs and controls put in place, with your team trained to run what can be run internally.
Operate
Monthly review of results against forecast, with commentary and recommendations rather than just figures.
Reassess
The scope is reviewed periodically. Some engagements grow, others reduce as the in-house team matures. Both are fine.
Who this suits
Where a virtual CFO fits.
Companies between AED 5m and AED 100m
Large enough that finance decisions carry real consequences, not yet large enough that a full-time CFO is obviously justified.
Founder-led businesses
Where the founder is still doing finance personally and it has become the constraint on their time rather than a good use of it.
Businesses approaching a transaction
A raise, a sale, a bank facility or a significant capital investment, where the quality of the numbers will be tested by someone external.
Related services
What clients usually combine this with.
Enquiry
Get a quote
Tell us what you need and we will come back with the scope and a fixed fee. No obligation.
- A reply within one business day
- A named person, not a call centre
- Your details are used only to answer this enquiry
Prefer to talk now? WhatsApp or call +971 56 283 1312
Start with the diagnostic.
A short review of your current numbers and reporting, ending in a written summary of what we would prioritise and why. You can act on it with us or without us.
Important
This page describes advisory services and is not a substitute for advice on your specific circumstances. Finaxil Consultancy LLC provides finance advisory and does not provide regulated investment advice.
Common questions
Questions we are asked most often.
What is the difference between a virtual CFO and an accountant?
An accountant records and reports what has already happened. A CFO uses that information to decide what should happen next, covering pricing, investment, funding, working capital and risk.
The two are complementary. A virtual CFO engagement usually sits on top of a bookkeeping function, whether that function is in-house or outsourced to us.
How many days a month does a virtual CFO work?
Most engagements run between two and six days a month. The right number depends on the size of the business, how much is changing, and how capable the existing finance team is.
The number of days is agreed at the start and reviewed periodically. It is normal for it to be higher during the first few months and to settle once the reporting and forecasting are established.
Is a virtual CFO cheaper than hiring?
Substantially, yes, because you are paying for a defined number of days rather than a full package including salary, visa, gratuity, insurance and the recruitment cost of finding the person.
The more relevant point is usually availability. Many businesses cannot attract a genuinely experienced CFO at the salary they can afford, but can access that experience for a few days a month.
Will you work with our existing finance team?
Yes, and in most engagements that is the arrangement. The virtual CFO supervises and reviews the work of the in-house bookkeeper or accountant rather than replacing them.
Where the existing team has gaps, we will say so plainly and help with recruitment or training rather than quietly absorbing the work.
Can you help us raise funding?
We prepare the financial side: the model, the historic numbers, the forecast, the assumptions and the documentation a lender or investor will ask for. We also sit in on those conversations where that is useful.
We are not a brokerage and we do not introduce investors or arrange finance. What we do is make sure that when you reach those conversations, the numbers hold up under scrutiny.